Combined car and pipe coupling.



H. H. WESTINGHOUSE.

COMBINED GAR AND PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.17, 1911.

1, 1 06,43 1 Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

WITNESSES INVEN+OR nd Pipe Couplers, of which the following is 1 n ectmg portion 2 and a recess 3 into which No. 887,296, dated May 12, 1908, means are .struction I have shown my improvementin 'a form utilizing this holding means, al-

scope of the invention.

nirnn STATES PATENT orrrca nn aY H. wnsrINeI-IoUsE, ,OIENEW YORK, N. Y; .ASSIGENOR To run WESTINGHOUSE AIR B K MPAI Y, OE JRITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, a conronarro or PENNSYLVANIA.

iacaasi. e

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that If, HENRY H. Wusrr er HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, resid- 3 ingat New York, in the county of New Yer-l; and State of New York, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Combined Car a specification. a

This invention relates to automatic car couplers, and more particularly to that type having means for coupling the train brake; pipe or other fluid pressure conduits. A combined coupler Off/hi2 alcove type is shown 7 in prior Patent No. 708,747 of George West inghouse, dated September 9, 19.02, and broadly stated, this coupler comprises a coupler head pivotally. connected to the car, frame and adapted to automatically engage with a counterpart couplerhead, a lock for retaining the coupler head in-engagement with its counterpart head, undone 1 more fluidpressure conduits in the head having packed port openings adapted to make fluid tight jointsiwith corresponding conduit port I a counterpart coupler head. A projecting arm a 8 of the locking lever 7 is pivotally connectopenings in the counterpart coupler head. Where couplers ofthe above. character or other couplers having locking devices are employed in service, it may sometimeshap pen that the locking device will fail, either wholly or partially, to effect the desired 1 locking engagement with the counterpart head, so that, without the knowledge of the attend-ant, the train may loesstarted with some coupler not properly locked to its counterpart coupler. as a consequence, the coupler in question is liable to separate; from its counterpart coupler and thereby cause a break-in-two of the train. L

The principal object of my invention 18130 provide means for warning or indicating to the attendant when a coupler is not properly locked.

In prior patent of George Westinghouse provided for holding the coupler lock in looking position and as a preferable con-.

though it will be understood that the invention is not so limited, but contemplates the use of various other embodiments within the In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a coupler head with I Specification of Letters Patent.

E section on the line a-a of Fig.

manually by means of a handle my improvement applied thereto; Fig. 2 a.

COMBINED CAR AND PIPE .GO'U'PLING.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Application filed November 1'7, 191,1. f erial No, 660,805..

1; and Fig. 3 a vertical section of the end portion of a coupler head, showing in elevation the face w-hlch engages a corresponding face of a counterpart coupler head. a

As shown in the drawing, the coupler head may comprlse a casting 1 having a prothe projecting portion 2 of a counterpart coupler head enters.

. Centrallyarranged, longitudinally of the coupler is a vertical plane surface having one or more openings, such as opening 20 communicating with a fluid pressure conduit ed to an operating rod .9 and a spring 10 acts on the rod 9 1n a direction tending to force the lever 7 into locking position.

A roll 11 is carried by the rod 9 in ,pos'ition to be acted upon by a double cam 12 and said; cam 12 is adapted to be rotated (not shown) secured .to shaft 13, so that when said. handle is shifted to eitherof its extreme positions, the roll llis moved outwardly and the locki-ng lever is thereby shifted to its unlocked position. u

The inner portion of the locking lever 7 is provided with an inclined surface and for holding the locking lever in locking position,

a small piston 14: is provided having a tapered stem 15 adapted to engage said inclined surface. A port 16 leads from the fluid pressure conduit 4L to the chamber 17 at one side of the piston 14: so that fluid is supplied to said piston when the coupler members are coupled together and fluid under pressure is supplied to the conduit 4.

When two coupler heads are brought together by impact, the projecting portion 2 of each head enters the recess 3 of the other head, depressing the latch or looking levers 7 until the transverse projections 6 pass one another, whereupon the springs '10 force the thatside of piston 14 which is opposite to the chamber 17, is provided and a port 19 around piston 14 is adapted to establish communication from chamber 17 to the opposite side of the piston. Piston 14: is also provided' with a seat 21 adapted in the extreme outward or looking position of the piston to seat and cut off communication from port 1%) to port 18. It will now be evident that when the piston '14 is not seated, fluid is free to flow from chamber 17 through port 19 to the atmospheric exhaust port 18 and consequently, whenever the locking lever 7 fails to move to its fully locked position, the tapered stem 15 being'prevented; from moving outwardly to its full extent, the piston 14 can not seat and fluid then escapes to the atmosphere and serves to warn the attendant that the coupler is not properly locked.

It is not essential that the locking device shown be employed to carry out my invention, as it will be evident that other devices may be designed for this purpose within the scope of my invention, in which the position of the locking lever operates to control the means for warning the attendant that the coupler members are not properly coupled.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An automatic car coupler comprising a coupler head provided with a projecting portion adapted to engage a similar portion on a counterpart coupler head and an opening in said projecting portionfor coupling a fluid pressure conduit, a locking lever for clamping the, coupler heads together, and means operated according tothe position of j the locking lever for venting fluid from said conduit, i f

, 2. An automatic car coupler comprising a coupler head provided with a projecting portion adaptedtoengage a similar portion on a counterpart coupler head and an openmg in said projectingportion for coupling a fluid pressure condu1t, a locking lever for clamping the coupler heads together, and

means operated by said locking lever in poe sitions other than the' fully locked position for venting fluid from; said conduit.

8. An automatic car coupler comprising a coupler head provided with a projecting portion adapted toengage a similar portion on a counterpart couplerghead and an opens ing in said projectingportion for couplingv a fluid pressure condu1t,a lockinglever for clamping the coupler heads togethenfluid pressure operated means for holdingsaid'lever in looking position, and a port controlled by said fluid pressure operated means'for' venting airfrom sa1d conduit upon failure of said fluid PI'GSS'UIGjCOIltI'OllGd means to fully move to its locking position.

4. An automatic car' coupler comprising a coupler head provided with a projecting; I 1

portion adapted to engage a similar portion on a counterpart coupler head and an opening in said projecting portion for coupling a fluid pressure conduit, a locking lever for clamping the coupler heads together, azpiston subject to the fluid pressurejof said conduit and having a stem for engaging-said locking lever, a-port forpermitting the escape of fluid under pressure past said piston,

, and a seat on said piston for closing COII1I1'11\-' nic'ation through said port in the fully lockedposition of said piston.

- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hair Witnesses:

A. M. GLEMENTS,

O. M CURDY.

: Copiero! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by adidressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

HENRY H. WE ST INGHOUSE; r '1 

